


The End of the Universe

by kronette



Category: Red Dwarf
Genre: Back to Earth, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-26
Updated: 2012-05-26
Packaged: 2017-11-16 00:26:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/533449
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kronette/pseuds/kronette
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set well after <i>Back to Earth</i>, though no spoilers for it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The End of the Universe

Mr. Rimmer handed Kryten his third spare set of eyeballs and he plugged them into his sockets. Kryten didn't bother to thank the hologram. He blinked and incorporated the new readouts into his processing, as these were the oldest set of eyeballs he had and they weren't as delicately calibrated as the others. It was no comfort that he didn't need the higher functioning calibrations anymore. After all, delicate calibrations were intended to analyze humanoid idiosyncrasies, subtle facial expressions and signs of illness.

Kryten focused in on Mr. Rimmer and the readouts scrolled in his visual input, but he ignored them. The readouts weren't as numerous or precise as they had been with his other eyeballs, but it was plain to even his mechanoid instincts that nothing had changed. The red tint to the edges of Rimmer's eyes had been a permanent fixture for the past eight weeks. The hologram had appeared to age 20 years over the past four months, from the exact day that Kryten determined Mr. Lister's prognosis.

Rimmer's face twisted in what Kryten assumed was an attempt at a smile. Neither of them had bothered with pleasantries since…well. Just since. Rimmer's hand squeezed his shoulder and he remarked quietly, "Try to keep these from rusting, Tin Man."

Kryten accessed his database and came up with what he assumed was the correct reference. He didn't know if he truly had a heart, but it certainly felt as though something inside his chest had broken. "I don't know if that's possible, Mr. Rimmer."

Rimmer half-fell into the seat next to him, his head bowed. "I know, Kryten. But I may have a solution."

The mechanoid sat up straighter, intrigued. Had the hologram come up with a solution for a heavy CPU and lack of purpose in life?

Mr. Rimmer's words couldn't have been more shocking. "We shut ourselves off and point the _Dwarf_ toward the nearest star."

Horrified, Kryten began to object…but then his CPU churned and whined. He needed to serve and without his ever-messy humanoids around who needed him, he had no purpose. It was the real reason he refused to see what happened to the Nova 5 crew. If he believed them dead, he would have gone computer senile or worse.

Mr. Rimmer could give him orders and a purpose, but the hologram had been uncharacteristically pensive since the…since. Rimmer's need for order, structure and tidiness hadn't reared its ugly head in months. The hologram now spent his time in his quarters, running his hands over Mr. Lister's things with a distant look in his eye. When Kryten had asked, once, what it was he was doing, Rimmer hadn't even bothered with an answer. He'd just turned and looked at him, and Kryten felt the same ache, the same loneliness that reflected through Mr. Rimmer's eyes. He'd left Mr. Rimmer alone after that, to mourn in his own way.

Kryten had put a picture of Mr. Lister next to the one of Mr. Cat in the Remembrance Garden, near Ms. Kochanski's. The garden felt large and empty, instead of filled with the presence of those who were no longer there. Kryten didn't want to continue to feel this way and it seemed Mr. Rimmer didn't, either.

"Sir?" Kryten asked quietly.

Rimmer lifted his head. He appeared to be bracing himself for an argument, or worse, a refusal. His hands were folded tightly in front of him, his knuckles as white as his face. But it was his eyes that drew Kryten's attention. His visual processors registered guilt, shame and resignation, but the other emotions pulling at Mr. Rimmer's facial muscles were beyond him.

Rather than GELFs or Simulants getting their hands on _Red Dwarf_ 's technology, destroying her was an optimal plan. It was a practical, unemotional response to a highly emotional situation. Mr. Lister wouldn't have wanted them to destroy _Red Dwarf_ , but Mr. Lister was no longer there. As heartless and ruthless as Kryten had witnessed Mr. Rimmer to be over the years, this was perhaps his most heartfelt, most sincere offer.

"Sir," Kryten repeated, his voice modulating strangely. "Should I begin scans for the nearest star?"

The heaviness seemed to lift from Mr. Rimmer and a calmness that Kryten had never before seen settled over the hologram. "If you would, please. I'd like to – I have a few things to do in our quarters. I'd like your assistance with Cat's wardrobe, if you have time."

Kryten reveled in the sense of purpose and orders, feeling like his old self. "Of course, sir." He stood and adjusted to the new depth perception. "Did you have a particular time frame in mind if scans reveal several options?"

Mr. Rimmer stood and looked him square in the eye. "As soon as humanly possible, Kryten."

Walking with determination, Kryten took the lifts to the navicomp and began scanning. He waited for the computer analysis, not caring how much time it took. Time was essentially frozen and he and Mr. Rimmer were leftover artifacts in the universe.

The computer beeped. Three possibilities presented themselves, the closest star nearly four months out. It wasn't ideal, but it would work. He set a course adjustment and went to see where Mr. Rimmer was in his efforts.

He found Mr. Rimmer sitting on his bunk, stroking his hand along a folded piece of worn leather. Mr. Lister's jacket. Kryten had wanted to keep it with Mr. Lister, but Rimmer refused. He'd gone hysterical, in fact, and Kryten had no choice but to relinquish it.

Kryten watched the slender fingers stroke the cracked leather reverently and wondered if the touch brought any comfort. A strangled sound erupted from Mr. Rimmer's throat and the jacket was clutched up against Rimmer's chest. Rimmer hunched over the remnant of his bunkmate and friend and Kryten fidgeted, not knowing what to do. He'd tried to comfort Mr. Lister when Mr. Cat died, but his offers of tea and treats had been refused or ignored. Mr. Rimmer needed no food or drink, not even air to breath, but his sniffs and shaky inhales were real enough.

Kryten sat next to Rimmer, hoping his presence was enough of a comfort. He had nothing else to give.

Rimmer sniffed one last time and asked shakily, "How long?"

Not needing clarification, Kryten answered, "About four months."

"Good." He watched as Rimmer pulled himself together: straightened his tunic, shook his head, folded the leather once again and placed it on top of a box already full of Mr. Lister's favorite items. "Let's see to the Cat's things."

It took almost all their allotted time to go through Mr. Cat's things, as his wardrobe spanned most of S deck. Mr. Cat did love his hiding places, though, and they located a hoard of shiny things, string and items Mr. Cat probably thought of as toys. Mr. Rimmer put some of them into a box similar to Mr. Lister's and Kryten carried it up to the Remembrance Garden to set next to Mr. Lister's.

Rimmer's hologram stuttered as a solar flare erupted right outside the windows. "It's time, Kryten," he announced unnecessarily as his image solidified once again.

They'd agreed, though mostly through silence, that Rimmer should be turned off first, as his projection was part of the ship's design. The hotter the hull got, the more ship functions would be interrupted. They were only a day out from reaching the star's corona. Kryten hadn't been able to calculate if the ship's hull could withstand the millions of degrees, as JMC had never encountered a situation where a vessel would get near enough to a star to warrant such a calculation. Not that it would matter in the end, as the ship was aimed at the star's core. If the corona didn't melt the ship, the transition region would.

Mr. Rimmer looked at him, the red-rimmed eyes filling with tears. "You're so much more than a bog-bot. You've been a friend to us all. In your own way, you were a substitute for the mothers we never had – me and Lister and Cat. You took good care of them, Kryten, and I thank you for that. I wouldn't have – I couldn't have done what you did."

"Don't underestimate yourself, Mr. Rimmer," Kryten tutted. "You were a selfish, arrogant smeehee those first few years I knew you, but I can honestly say, sir, that you've changed for the better."

Rimmer nodded down at Mr. Lister's box. "He changed me. He made me better. I can never repay him. And not just now, but...I never could have repaid him. How can you repay someone for making you a decent human being?"

"I think Mr. Lister changed all of us for the better," Kryten answered, his voice modulating. "We are all better for having known him."

Rimmer slowly nodded, then turned to stand next to him. Kryten wondered what he was doing, but then Rimmer stood at attention and Kryten surmised what he was about to do. Rimmer began his special salute and Kryten mimicked him, though it was blessedly short – just the three twirls and a smart snap down to the side. Rimmer turned to him then, and said, "I'm sorry, Kryten."

Kryten was able to turn to Rimmer and get out, "I'm so –" before he collapsed.

=-=-=-=-=-=

Rimmer wasn't prepared for the weight of Kryten as he shut down the mechanoid. Straining not to drop him, Rimmer sagged and heaved until he got Kryten laid out on the floor, blissfully unaware. Wiping the tears from his face, Rimmer stood and turned his back on the blazing heat and light of the impossibly large star. At his feet were Lister and Cat's prized possessions, and just in front of them, was Kryten. It was the scenario he wanted. "Kryten, I hope you can forgive me," he began to the now-silent room. "I knew your survival chip wouldn't allow you to continue to let us fly into this star, so I stopped you before you could stop this ship." His projection wavered. "I knew I had less time than you, so I had to act quickly. I hope Silicon Heaven is as nice as you believe."

He gasped as pain shot through his entire projection, like nerves misfiring. "A captain goes down with his ship, and even though I never made the official rank, I am still senior officer and take full responsibility." He glanced down at Cat's box. "You were the most stylish moggy I've ever had the pleasure to meet. You put Liberace and Queen Victoria to shame. If we had made it back to Earth and there had been a civilization to find, you would have been a sensation for the ages. You were a good friend to Lister, when I couldn't be."

He slid his gaze to Lister's box and the guitar that rested on top. "I wish I'd been a better friend to you. I did everything in my power to keep you sane, keep you focused, and if that meant being the focus of your anger, it was worth it. And you didn't stay angry with me for long." He doubled over as sparks of energy shot along his body. His light-bee was shorting out. "You must have liked me enough to not shut me off. I wish I'd asked. I wish I knew for sure. I liked you, Lister. I liked you better than anyone else I ever met. Even McGruder and she let me have sex with her."

He dropped to his knees as electricity sparked all along his projection. He felt himself switch to soft light and panted for unneeded breath. "If there's a heaven, or equivalent to what you believe, I hope we meet up there. I want to start over. I want to do it right. I want us to be friends. I want –" His vision whited out and he heard fizzling – the ship around him and his light-bee circuits were melting. "I want so much. I want a chance. Please, just a chance. I want to be happ–"

The mining ship _Red Dwarf_ sank into a star's corona somewhere in the universe and melted into its base elements, which were reborn in the star's interior as pure energy. A solar flare erupted where the ship had gone in, sending particles back out into space.

Billions of millennium would pass before the universe reset itself and started over. Dave Lister and Arnold J. Rimmer would be born into that universe. They would meet on Mimas, where Rimmer was on shore leave from _Red Dwarf_ and Lister was recovering from a hell of a 24 th birthday party. Rimmer was a Second Technician in charge of Zed-Shift. He was due for a promotion review in three weeks and was celebrating his chances of advancing to First Technician. When he spotted the forlorn man with the natty dreads sat at the bar, something in his chest tightened. He didn't know what it was, but he found himself walking over to the young man and introducing himself. That tight feeling continued throughout their talk, the shared drinks and their shared bed that night. Rimmer convinced Lister to let him try to get him a job on board _Red Dwarf_. With no way to get back to Earth, Lister agreed, but not before informing Rimmer in no uncertain terms that he'd slept with him because he liked him, not because he could get him off of Mimas. Rimmer, usually not the most trusting of souls, believed the Scouser.

On their second anniversary together, they celebrated by resigning and leaving _Red Dwarf_ before it left for Ganymede. Petersen had sold them his house on Triton, and rather than continue to travel on the ship, they decided they'd rather hop a smaller vessel and settle down. It had always been Lister's dream to have a farm and raise animals. Never having a pet of his own, Rimmer liked the idea of having all sorts of animals around. It wasn't until they'd installed oxygen scrubbers and a biodome around their house and were able to move in that Rimmer felt that knot of tension loosen in his chest.

As he settled next to Lister in their bed, he kissed Lister's forehead and sighed in contentment.

"You happy, Arnold?" Lister asked.

Rimmer's face broke into a smile, stretching the plentiful laugh lines. "Insanely, Dave. I don't know what the urgency was about getting off the ship and settling down, but I'm glad we did it. I'm glad to be here with you." He turned his head and let his eyes sparkle. "I love you, Dave Lister."

Lister's face transformed into his lovable grin and he replied, "You know I love you, Arnie." They slept, the light from Neptune penetrating the shielded windows to give their room a soft glow.

The End


End file.
